The Darkness Comes: The In Between
by Winddragon Eternal
Summary: Ever wonder what lies behind Soron's exterior attitude? Well, something's clearly bothering him, and it's up to Phelan to find out. As the title says, takes place during Phelan's time with the Chipmunks.
1. Chapter 1

Hello again; I'll cut quick to the chase!

Simply put, you could say that this is a canon fic that has happened during the intervals of Chapters 16 and 17 in _The Darkness Comes_. I'm not going to reveal much, because I came up with this on the spot. But I hope you'll enjoy it all the same!

* * *

**Chapter 1**

The afternoon was warm and unusually quiet as Phelan made his way into the kitchen. Through his extra-keen senses, he could tell that nobody else was in his presence, making him the only chipmunk available in the Seville household.

It was strange, because usually at this time of day, Phelan would often hear Alvin and Simon arguing about something, and then Dave or Theodore would have to be the peacemaker and put a stop to the din of noises. Nevertheless, his wolf-like instincts assured him that there were no immediate signs of danger or anything that was prone to harm him in his solitude.

After all, it had been almost a week since he heard the voice of his other half taunting him in the shadows,

There was a note attached to the fridge door written in Dave's hurried scrawls. Phelan took it down and read it.

_Phelan,_

_Simon and I are going to the recording studio to make plans for the Halloween party's song list. Alvin and Theodore are over at the Chipettes. Please watch the house while we're gone._

_Theo has left out some freshly-baked muffins, but he said that you may decorate them when they've cooled down._

_Dave._

Phelan breathed in deeply and let his nose direct him over to the sink. As expected, there was a tray of six golden-brown muffins sitting next to an open window. And some tubes of icing and whipped cream rested beside the tray, looking all the more tempting with its bright, candy-like colours.

"Oh Theo," he chuckled to himself, "you've outdone yourself again. Good for you."

He took the bag of icing, but instead of using it on one of the muffins, he held out a finger and squirted a reasonable amount of icing onto it. Phelan dipped his creamy finger into his mouth and sucked on it, tasting the guilty pleasure of sweetness with every lick.

Guilty. Why was that word suddenly feeling like a thorn caught in the side of his belly?

And then he looked out of the window and saw the Chipettes' house about a few blocks away from where he stood. It looked empty on the outside, but Phelan had a hunch that whatever was going on inside there, it sure beat having to be left alone with nothing but a tray of muffins.

Phelan dressed another finger with more icing and sucked on it thoughtfully. Was the true reason why he'd been deserted was because they hadn't learn to put their faith and trust in him again? After all, he'd been the reason why Alvin had almost broken up with Brittany, the true love of his life, and after nobody would listen to him, he ran away in shame.

But Simon and Theo never turned away from Phelan, and after they'd risked their lives to get their brother back, all enmity was forgotten and bygones were bygones. Even Soron, whose grudge against Phelan was as obvious as the light he wielded into battle, had decided to bury the hatchet and think of Phelan as a brother once more.

Yes, thought Phelan, through a smile that raised his spirits a little, they're not really abandoning me, and they'll come back, because I've given my word to Dave that I'll protect them.

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden glare of light that shone through the open window and onto the kitchen floor. At first, Phelan assumed that it could have been a wild sunbeam that just appeared out of nowhere and danced along in the sky for fun. He could feel the gentle light warm against his chest, like the hearty glow of a fire.

Then a knock came from the back door, and before Phelan could call out a greeting, the latch turned and the door opened.

"Soron? What are you doing here?" asked Phelan as he watched the silver-hooded chipmunk walk in without waiting for an invitation.

"None of your beeswax," said Soron, though he showed no sign of hostility in his voice. But there was something that was clearly bothering him, and Phelan was determined to find out what.

"You know, it's very rude to barge into people's houses without being invited in first," Phelan pointed out. "They might even think that you're breaking in."

"Let them think what they want to think," said Soron, who was now getting curious over the enriching aroma that wafted over the kitchen air. "I never really did understand human behaviours, anyway." He looked over at the tray of Theodore's muffins, but they didn't seem anything like the forbidden fruit he would be willing to eat.

"Don't you think a simple 'Can I come in' would apply to us forest creatures, too?"

Soron ignored Phelan's chides as he picked up one of the muffins. "Human food? Boy, Phelan, aren't they making you get all soft and mushy on the inside?"

"It's Theo's muffin, and I think you should put it down right now."

Phelan folded his arms, not taking his eyes off Soron, until the silver-clad chipmunk placed it back on the tray. "So, you haven't answered my question yet? What brings you here?"

"Are your brothers and girlfriends in here right now?"

"First off, the Chipettes aren't my girlfriends, they're my brothers' girlfriends. And no, they're not in at the moment. Why?"

Soron rolled his eyes. "Because I need to talk to you in private. Isn't it obvious?"

He didn't wait for Phelan to give him an answer as he continued. "I think you should have just kept your big mouth shut."

"Excuse me?" asked Phelan, all his good feelings starting to vanish along with his temper.

"You told Theodore about our secret, and now you think that just because he's all goody-good and innocent, he won't spill a thing of this out in the open? Have you ever stopped to think what would happen if another one of them found out?"

"Soron, I thought we'd gone through this before," said Phelan. "Nothing bad is going to happen, and besides, I know what I'm doing when the time comes."

"Are you saying that just to ease yourself over the guilt of telling a secret?"

"No, I just know how to take care of myself."

"You idiot, this isn't about yourself anymore!" Soron raised his voice, waving a paw at Phelan. "This greatly concerns all of us – it concerns the fate of our world! If our game plan falls apart because you told somebody and the word spreads out, everything is going to be your responsibility when we lose the battle!"

"You've only met the Darkness a couple of times!" Phelan bared his wolf-like fangs. "Me? I've had to deal with his presence every single moment of my life, and I've hated it! What makes you think that I can't beat him, when you're only bringing everybody's confidence down?"

"Because you're so obsessed with playing family – you're willing to put them before your main priority!" yelled Soron.

"My family is my priority!" Phelan shouted back.

"Well, sorry for not understanding, because I don't have a family! Oh, wait a minute, that's right – you killed them!"

Phelan clenched his paws into a tight fist, but he kept himself restrained as he pointed towards the back door. "It's obvious that you're in a bad mood, Soron. I don't want to talk about this until you've calmed down. Now get the hell out!"

"Or what? You're going to make me?" mocked Soron, but he was already cracking his knuckles and balling his fists.

It seemed like all hell was about to break loose between the wolf-like chipmunk and the warrior of light.

Then the atmosphere was deeply interrupted as the front door creaked open. Theodore came into the kitchen, and there he saw Phelan and Soron staring tensely at each other.

"Oh, there you are, Phelan! Hi, Soron! What's going on?" asked the green-clad chipmunk.

"Nothing," said Phelan earnestly, but Soron wasn't buying any of that as he walked over to Theodore and prodded his belly with a jabbing finger.

"What exactly did Phelan tell you?" demanded Soron. "Did you know that it was meant to be kept just between me and your brother? Answer me!"

"I d-d-don't know what you're talking about," stammered Theodore, taken surprise by Soron's sudden interrogation. "P-p-please, I never told anyone." His eyes were as wide as a rabbit's burrow, and he could have easily jumped into one to hide his shaking fear.

"Hey, leave Theodore alone!" Phelan pushed Soron out of the way and stood in front of his little brother. "You have no right to question him like that! And what goes on between me and him is absolutely none of your business!"

"It is my business now, because you had to be the blabbermouth that spoiled everything!" Soron yelled.

As he put his enthusiasm in his words, the silver-clad chipmunk gestured with his hands in a show of fury. He raised a paw, and it knocked against the surface of the tray, causing it to fly up with the muffins suspending in mid-air.

Then gravity conquered all, and the tray hit the floor with a deafening clang while the muffins rolled onto the floor like ripened apples.

For a few seconds, nobody said a word as the three chipmunks stood there gaping at the mess on the floor, as though time had frozen that very moment.

"My muffins..." Theodore whimpered. A quiver was already forming on his lip, and his eyes were filling fast with tears.

Then the little chipmunk buried his face in his hands and started crying.

Soron glanced about nervously, first looking at Phelan, who had turned to face Theodore, and then he saw how devastated the chubby chipmunk was right now. Nothing could repair the damage that had been done.

"I'm sorry," murmured Soron, barely loud enough to hear over Theodore's sobbing, and he walked out the back door.

* * *

The unexpected shock in Phelan's guts at what Soron had done was slowly, but surely consumed by a rage of justice that fully consumed him.

He wanted to go out there and grab that idiot of a chipmunk by the neck, and then maybe knock some sense into him until he was out cold.

But first, there were more important matters to attend to right now.

Phelan knelt down and put an arm around Theodore, whose cries were now reduced into hiccupping sobs as he stared miserably at his ruined masterpieces.

"Come on, Theo, cheer up. It's no use crying over spilt muffins," said Phelan as he patted Theodore's back.

At the mere mention of the word 'muffins', Theodore burst into tears again.

"But... but... I worked so hard to bake these for you!" he bawled. "I wanted to give them to you as a thank you present!"

"You made these muffins for me?" asked Phelan, and Theodore gave a sad little nod in reply.

"Aw, that's very sweet of you, Theo. You don't have to worry about baking muffins for me. Look, I'll show you."

Phelan picked up a nearby muffin and was about to eat it when Theodore held his paw. "You probably don't want to eat that, Phelan, it's dirty."

To his surprise, the wolf-like chipmunk chuckled lightly.

"That's no big deal. Back in the forest where I came from, we used to pick stuff off the ground, whether it was nuts or berries or whatever we could find that would last us for the winter. And we forest creatures never really care about what's dirty – as long as it's food, it's all that matters."

Before Theodore could say anything else, Phelan had already popped the muffin into his mouth. He swallowed a huge gulp, and a thumbs-up brought a smile back on the little chipmunk's face.

"Here, why don't you have one? After all, you baked them yourself," said Phelan, offering Theodore another muffin.

Theodore paused, hesitantly as he stared at the muffin like it was going to explode. "You think I really should?"

"Trust me, you won't regret it," smiled Phelan, and he dropped the muffin into Theodore's paws.

Theodore sniffed cautiously at his muffin, before eating it and swallowing it whole.

"Well?"

A smile that lit up Theodore's face once more brought back relief to Phelan. Now there was the joyful and happy-go-lucky chipmunk that he had come to know.

"Feeling better?" asked Phelan. He smiled when Theodore gave him a brotherly hug.

"Thanks for cheering me up, Phelan," said Theodore, and Phelan kissed him on the forehead.

"See, that wasn't so bad now, huh? I know, why don't you make yourself a new batch and then Dave and the others can enjoy your deserts!" It sounded like a great idea.

Obviously, it was working on Theodore as the little chipmunk got back into top chef mode again.

"Where are you going?" he asked as Phelan headed out the back door.

"Just to get some fresh air. You need me to stay and watch you, Theo?"

"No thanks. I'll be fine."

"Okay, because I guess I'll be taking quite a while," said Phelan, and he was replied with a happy wave from Theo.

I sure am going to take a long while, the wolf-like chipmunk thought to himself as he headed outside.

Nobody messed around with his brothers, and now that somebody was going to pay...

* * *

_To Be Continued..._

Yes, it's not over yet. In fact, I'm planning on making it short, maybe about 2-3 chapters long. What's really been bothering Soron? And how will Phelan discover what's hidden behind the shell of his friend-turned-brother?

Find out in the next installment of this mini-story!

P.S: Regardless of what Phelan says, I'm not encouraging you to eat off the floor. Unless of course, you trust the floor and it trusts back in you. ;)

Oh yeah, in case you were wondering what was the secret that Soron was upset about, please refer to the end of Chapter 17 of Darkness.

Anyway, please review!

~ Wind


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey guys, I'm back again. This time, with a bit of a surprise!_

_I actually started on this chapter a few months back, but now I've decided to add the final touches and post it up. This in-between story of three chapters may not be much, but it will soon tie into the sequel **Let There Be Light**. Plus, you'll get to see a softer side of Soron, despite what you've read about him in the Darkness Comes._

_P.S: Just a refresher, this story takes place right before the Halloween party where Phelan finally overcomes and defeats the Darkness for good. Or has he?_

_With that said, let the reading carry you away! :D_

* * *

**Chapter 2: Blood is Thicker than Mud**

Once Soron had crossed the Sevilles' backyard where he remained out of plain sight, the heartless facade crumbled away into an anguish mess as he put his face in his paws.

He hadn't really meant to lose his temper in front of Theodore, especially since he knew how fragile and naive the little chipmunk was. But the look on Phelan's face just made him so... so... angry, that he felt an urge to hit something, to hurt somebody, to push aside all of his pain and transfer it to the nearest person – he didn't care who it was, as long as there was someone around to share his misery with.

"Soron Andrews!"

Deep inside of him, Soron cringed at the sound of his full name; nobody called him that unless that somebody was really blowing his top. Immediately, Soron's gaze met the cold stare of the wolf-like chipmunk whose anger was simmering through his fur.

"You owe Theodore an apology."

Phelan's words cut straight to the point. There wasn't the usual _I think_ or _I believe_ that followed the beginning of his speech. No more playing Mister Nice Guy.

"I don't owe anyone nothing," Soron steeled himself, folding his arms. "Besides, that little guy should've learned to keep his fat mouth shut."

"Well, at least I know the kind of atmosphere you carry around with you, and I don't think anybody would want to have you around," Phelan crossed his arms, but not before he added a drop of sarcasm in his words.

"It was real _nice_ of you to drop by, Soron."

The hazel-brown chipmunk stopped dead in his tracks. When he turned around to face Phelan, there was fire now blaring in Soron's eyes like never before.

"What did you just say?" he growled.

"I said, nice of you to drop by, Soron."

* * *

Phelan wasn't expecting to be pounced on by Soron, who was now pointing an accusing finger at him, the look on the light warrior's face screaming murder.

"The next time you say anything, don't ever, and I mean ever, put my name with the word _nice_ in the same sentence. You know why, Phelan? Because I am not the nicest chipmunk in the world!" Soron yelled as he spat, treating the very word as though it was dirt under his feet.

Hearing Soron act all defensive and jumpy at being called nice, even in a cynical way, suddenly brought a grin to the wolf-like chipmunk. In his years of being a warrior of the darkness, Phelan had never heard Soron say so much as one nice thing in his speech, let alone live the definition of the word itself. Which was definitely the truest of all facts.

_Still, perhaps I should just play along with him a little_, Phelan thought; hoping that it would break the silver-clad chipmunk's glaring headstrong light.

"Oh geez, I didn't know you had it in you to say that," he sighed in mock defeat, rolling his eyes. "But still, I wonder, who was that bold and valiant chipmunk who saved me and my brothers from the Darkness? They should really give him a Medal of Honour."

"You know what the Darkness did to me and my family!" said Soron.

"That doesn't change anything I saw in that warrior one bit," Phelan stood his ground. "What I saw was a chipmunk who would do anything to protect his newfound family. I saw you inside of me, Soron. And don't you dare deny the truth!"

His answer sent him sprawling to the ground once more as Soron pinned Phelan's wrists and legs with his bare paws.

"Let me get this straight to you, you innocent and naive puppy," Soron growled, jabbing his finger at Phelan's chest.

"I DON'T play nice! I DON'T have one bit of sympathy pouring out from my body! And I DON'T care about it at all! The only reason why I saved your butt back there was because I was bound by an obligation to do so! I have never done anything willingly out of the goodness of my own heart, and I never will! So DON'T push me!"

He rose in a huff and stormed off.

* * *

_Soron, my brother, what have you become? _

As Phelan picked himself up, watching the silver-clad chipmunk leave left heavy feelings in his heart, not because of the way Soron shouted at him, but the way he held Phelan to the ground.

Anybody could have seen that it was a fight that broke out between two chipmunks, but to Phelan, it was as good and simple as an innocent play fight.

An old tumble and rumble in the dirt he shared with a good friend so many seasons ago...

* * *

_The two chipmunks sat on a branch of the highest tree they could find, staring out into the forest as they watched the sunlight being swallowed by the remains of the day._

"_It's beautiful, isn't it?" Phelan said. He and Soron were done gathering nuts and berries for tonight's dinner, but Soron's mother had allowed them to go outside for a little playtime before she would call them in._

"_Sure is. I wish we could stay up here every day and watch more sunsets like this," replied Soron._

"_You know there'll always be better sunsets than this one, don't you? Things change. Nature changes. We'll probably change, too. Someday." _

"_Hey, we're pals, right?" Soron wrapped an arm around Phelan's shoulder. "And if we stick together always, that'll never change."_

_Phelan nodded. _

"_Soron, you're the best friend a chipmunk could ask for. But you've proven yourself to be more than that. You're the best brother I never had."_

_Soron blushed a deep shade of red. "Well, you're not bad yourself either."_

"_I've got an idea. Let's make a pact, right here and now," Phelan said. He held out his pinky finger and pricked it on one of his fangs, drawing a bright red pearl of blood. "Give me your paw, Soron."_

"_What?"_

"_Trust me on this, okay?"_

_Hesitantly, Soron offered Phelan his right paw. The wolf-like chipmunk brought it closer to his fangs and gently nibbled on Soron's pinky. He was careful not to dig deep into the flesh, and stopped the moment he felt something wet graze his lips. _

_When the two bleeding paws were brought together, mingling blood with blood, Soron looked puzzled, but to Phelan, it was a ceremony of utmost importance. _

"_We're blood brothers now, you and I. And on my oath, I promise never to let anything come between us or harm you in any way." Phelan's voice was solemn, but he was all smiles._

"_And I you too," said Soron._

"_Pinky swear on that?" Phelan held up his bleeding finger._

"_Pinky swear," Soron smiled, and they crossed paws together._

"_I know something else that won't change either," Phelan said, a glint shimmering out of the corner of one eye._

"_And what's that?"_

_Phelan paused for a while, before sticking out his tongue. "The fact that you stink at climbing trees!"_

_Soron's ears flattened playfully. "Wait till I show you who's the stinky one!"_

_The two chipmunks leapt downwards from branch to branch, trying to catch the other as they dodged falling leaves and weak twigs that would snap the moment a paw was laid. As Phelan was the first to reach the ground, Soron bowled into him, knocking the wolf-like chipmunk into a mud puddle and pinned him down._

"_Given up already?" taunted Soron._

"_Not on your life," said Phelan. And he licked the tip of Soron's nose._

_The term "getting down and dirty" soon reached a new level as both Phelan and Soron rolled about in the mud, having a good old play fight. By the end of the day, there were two identical looking chipmunks, both caked with mud, dirt and soil, panting and chuckling as they climbed out of the puddle._

"_You know Mum's going to kill us if we show up like this," said Soron, shaking himself like a wet dog._

"_We'll probably get our tails pulled, or worse – be grounded until next spring!" Phelan grinned, which only led to another round of laughter._

_Soron picked up a couple of dried leaves as he wiped his fur dry with them, while Phelan, being the feral one, attempted to clean himself with several strokes of his tongue. Either way, nothing could distinguish the two muddy chipmunks apart save for the colour of their eyes._

_Soron's bucked teeth showed as his mouth parted in a devilish grin._

"_If I get home faster before you do, I can always tell Mum that you pushed me into the puddle first. She'll have to believe me, of course! Last one back is a stinky puppy!"_

_And he took off like a shot._

"_Hey! Soron! Come back here or I'll pull your tail!" Phelan half-shouted, laughing as he raced his brother home. _

_Soron's mother wasn't exactly pleased at the sight of her sons._

_They didn't get their tails yanked._

_But they had to stay outdoors until the rain came pouring the next day.  
_

* * *

Phelan smiled to himself as he looked upon his pinky. There was still that tiny nick, which had been covered up by a new patch of fur. But if one bite was all it took to patch up the pieces of a broken friendship, nothing would please Phelan more than to give up the past ten years of pain he had caused.

Phelan watched as Soron crossed the gate and turned around the corner. From what he gathered, the light-wielding warrior was most likely to return to the park before nightfall.

_Why does Soron keep to himself all the time? What's he trying to hide?_

He didn't need to think twice about what he would do next.

* * *

It was risky, this business of stalking in the middle of broad daylight. Not just because he was at a disadvantage as a warrior of the darkness, but Phelan found that there were a lack of shadows in every corner, making it impossible to blend into the absence of light, away from Soron's watchful gaze.

To the furthest end of the town stood a local apothecary, the kind of ancient-like building that still stood despite today's century. Phelan watched as Soron pulled his hood over his head before entering the shop. A few minutes later, he came out, holding a bundle of stalks.

From his distance, Phelan could barely make out the type of flowers Soron had with him, but the wind caught his nose, and he breathed in deeply. And then it hit him. Something he hadn't encountered for a long time.

This was rosemary, the smell of rememberance.

* * *

It was close to sunset when Phelan had reached the edge of the thick woodland trees. Perhaps it was just his wolf-like instincts, but by taking his first steps into the forest, Phelan felt an ominous feeling gnawing into his fur.

What on earth lured them back here?

It must've been years since he set foot into nature's loving home, years since he had lived with a family, where he and Soron...

Phelan screwed his eyes tight, trying desperately to shut out all unpleasant thoughts that crossed his mind. Soron was just a few miles ahead of him, and he knew that the slightest of distractions could cause the wind to pick up his scent, and then the game would be up.

At the slightest of rustling amidst the silent leaves and the thick treetops, Phelan whipped his sight in all directions, half-expecting his shadow of an ego to appear from out of thin air, where the Darkness's spite would only lure him, taunt the wolf-like chipmunk for the rash decisions he made whilst under the strings of the evil puppeteer.

But the only icy feelings came from the fresh dewdrops that brushed against Phelan's fur, and he continued to remain out of Soron's sight.

At last, the hazel-brown chipmunk's footsteps came to a stop, and Phelan put on the brakes as he pressed closer to the ground, ducking under cover. Soron was now standing under a rowan tree, one of many clustered in a group, but it seemed as though he felt at peace with the world.

Phelan felt his heart sank. _In heaven's name, why is this tree so important to him?_

Then he looked closer, and saw that only this one had a hole at the bottom; an entrance, perhaps, to an underground warren.

And it was from this hole, that a chipette stepped out to greet Soron.

She was wizened with time and age. Her hazel-brown fur was mottled with darker spots of black. Her tail, though bushy like her kind, now looked drooped and moth-eaten. And her eyes – they were a light, cloudy green; though Phelan couldn't tell if it had stayed that way, or if the blindness was creeping up onto her.

Surprisingly, there was something about her that reminded him so much of –

"Soron!" the old chipette exclaimed with joy, and there were tears brimming fast at the corners of her eyes.

"Hi, Grandma." For the first time in ages, Phelan was amazed to see the warmest of smiles light up the chipmunk's face. "It's been a long time. I've really missed you."

* * *

_To Be Continued..._

_One more chapter, and then everything will fall into place._

_I'll be away till the end of the month. Nothing big this time, just travelling about for a holiday. But I will be back, and ready to continue Phelan's adventures, wherever it takes him._

_Happy holidays, and please don't forget to review! :)_

_~ Wind_


End file.
